#9EA9CA
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.7% 0.049 270.7), rgb(158, 169, 202).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.98:1).
About this color
#9EA9CA is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.049 and its hue 271°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.035 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.98:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.049) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.98:1 |
| White text | 2.33:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EA9CA |
| RGB | rgb(158, 169, 202) |
| HSL | hsl(225, 29%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.7% 0.049 270.7) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #9EA9CA | 2.33:1 | Fails | Lc -51.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9EA9CA | 8.98:1 | AAA | Lc 57.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA9CA text on white | 2.33:1 | Fails | Lc 46.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA9CA text on black | 8.98:1 | AAA | Lc -56.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F4F5F8
oklch(97% 0.004 271.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EAF0
oklch(93.6% 0.009 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D5D9E5
oklch(88.6% 0.017 271.2)
-
Step 300
300
#B9C0D5
oklch(80.9% 0.031 271)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9EA9CA
oklch(73.7% 0.049 270.7)
-
Step 500
500
#7B88B0
oklch(63.1% 0.062 270.6)
-
Step 600
600
#64719C
oklch(55.5% 0.069 271.1)
-
Step 700
700
#535F85
oklch(49.1% 0.063 270.5)
-
Step 800
800
#444E6C
oklch(42.8% 0.052 269.9)
-
Step 900
900
#394158
oklch(37.8% 0.041 269.5)
-
Step 950
950
#222633
oklch(27.1% 0.025 271.4)
#9EA9CA with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #9FABCC | 0.006 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CA8C9 | 0.004 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #93AFB4 | 0.044 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.049 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EA9CA
#9EA9CA
oklch(73.7% 0.049 270.7)
- #B6A987
#B6A987
oklch(73.7% 0.049 89.6)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #9EA9CA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.035
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.048
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.049
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.049
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.051
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.052
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.054
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.059
Use #9EA9CA in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.